Galaxy 5000

"My favorite racing game is also on my favorite system!"

Unfortunately, it's overlooked, so it isn't as popular as it should be. Too bad, since it deserves to be made for the Gameboy Advance or something. Imagine, four players competing with a link cable or something!

Graphics: 9 Great
Everything's colored nicely, the solar system is well-drawn, and the course and the objects are also good. What's really cool is between races you get to see your turbocraft and the damage it's taken. As you repair it, you get to gradually see the damage go away.

Music: 8 Very Good
Cool music! Not as cool as Skate or Die 2, but still very good nonetheless. The songs between races and the game over screen also have cool beats to them.

Sound Effects: 7 Good
Good, I guess. Most sound effects are alright, but what really stands out is the unmistakable explosion when one's vehicle is destroyed; it's actually pretty realistic for 8 bit.

Voices: 7 Good
Yes, there are voices. They're a little quiet, but once you can hear them they're pretty good. And funny too. When you drive out of course, you hear a scream. When you drive really close to someone else, you hear "Excuse me!", "Hey!" or "Watch it!"

Controls: 8 Very Good
Either way, they're simple and easy to get used to. What's really cool is you can choose between Alpha and Beta controls. In Alpha mode, you hold down the directional button in the way you want to go (up to go up, left to go left, and so on). In Beta mode, you hold up to move, and left and right to turn as if you were actually inside the vehicle. But for either control style, A jumps and B shoots.

Difficulty Level: Very High
Be warned; this is a really tough game, although it's very fun. It isn't as hard as Cobra Triangle or Battletoads, but still challenging enough to provide enough for all players. The first few races are easy, then it gets exponentially harder in layout and the obstacles and traps littered make things harder. You want to save up your money earned from races to buy a better vehicle, but sometimes you're forced to spend your money just to keep your current turbocraft in good condition. You race four races on each planet, and each race has more obstacles or traps, and each next planet (starting at Mercury and ending at Pluto) has a more difficult layout. It's a Jupiter when the game really starts to kill you, since Jupiter has strong gravity and you can't jump well.

Gameplay: 9 Great
It sounds like RC Pro Am, where you race and shoot each other, right? It's even better. In Galaxy 5000, when you're shot at or you crash into an obstacle, you take damage, and needless to say, if you take too much damage your vehicle blows up. If you're using the basic turbocraft, the Tomahawk, it's game over if you die, but if you're driving something better, you'll lose that vehicle and go back to the next lower craft. There's a two-player mode as well. Maybe if it was GBA or something four players would work, but not with all (human) players on one screen. The only complaint I have with this game is when you have enough money to buy a new craft, you MUST buy it; you can't save up money in that case.

Overall: 9 Great
A great game. Too bad it was almost always left in the shadows, even in it's time.

Pluses
+Cool game with a true challenge
+Nice graphics and sound
+Scientifically correct (Juptier's gravity causes for poor jumps)
+Two different control types

Minuses
-Can be too hard for some players
-You're forced to buy new vehicles when you have the money

Buy? Rent? Throw Away? Or what...
Buy. But since it's rare and not many people know about it, good luck finding this gem.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/05